A Little Extra Backup
by Lord Aerono
Summary: Set between Volumes 5 and 6. Shortly before beginning the trip to Atlas, Blake calls on an old mercenary friend for extra backup, though she's not sure if she can dare trust him.


Blake hesitated at the intersection, before continuing further into the backstreets of Mistral City.

She didn't want to be here, but from what the others had told her, they were going to need all the help they could get for the trip to Atlas, which meant talking to...him.

There was a faint tap on a nearby roof, and Blake had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. She'd told them that she wanted to do this alone, but that hadn't stopped Sun and Illia from following her 'discretely'.

Reaching an old warehouse, Blake stopped at the door, took a breath, let it out, and knocked.

"Iann? Iann Glas? It's Blake. Are you in there?"

There was a long pause.

"Belladonna!" A voice on the other side finally said. "What a surprise to see you here! Please, come in."

The door opened, seemingly of its own accord. Blake took another breath, and stepped inside.

The interior of the building was mostly empty, with only a desk and two chairs standing in the middle of the open space, and no-one else in sight. Blake's steps echoed around the empty room as she walked over to the desk and sat down in one of the chairs.

With a loud boom the door was slammed shut, making Blake jump in her seat.

A voice spoke from empty air as another set of footsteps echoed around the room. "Belladonna, Belladonna, Belladonna. I'd heard you were back in my neck of the woods, but I didn't expect you to stop by my place."

The other chair creaked as someone unseen sat in it. "What can I do for you, Miss Belladonna?"

Blake took a moment to reorient her thoughts. She'd forgotten how disorienting talking to Iann was. "Some friends of mine and I are making a trip to Atlas. We're expecting-"

Iann cut her off. "You are aware that Atlas has closed its borders?"

"We're expected."

There was a chuckle. "Really? By who?"

"General Ironwood."

There was a pause.

"You're serious, aren't you? Well then, you'll definitely have the coin to buy my services. Business has been slow around here anyway. I could use a change of scenery."

Blake leaned forward. "So you'll do it?"

The empty chair leaned back, and was suddenly filled by a man in emerald armor decorated with gold designs as he looked to the rafters and sighed. "Well, see, there's a problem we need to address first. Taurus."

Blake managed to keep her voice under control. "Adam? Is he here?"

Iann laughed, still staring at the ceiling. "No. I haven't heard from him since before his defeat at Haven. However, he has given me several very lucrative contracts on the past, and we've got a good relationship right now. Given your...history with him," Blake twitched. "I stand to loose a lot of money if I help you. So,"

The chair slammed back to the floor, Iann vanishing again as he locked eyes with Blake. "why shouldn't I just capture you now and see how much he'll give me for you?"

Blake was about to bolt out of the chair when a thought crossed her mind, freezing her in place as she explored the implications.

"Belladonna?" Iann asked after several seconds. "Do you have an answer for me?"

"You're not going to turn me over to Adam."

Iann's smirk was audible. "I'm not? Why wouldn't I?"

"Because you've heard what he did at Beacon, and what he tried to do at Haven. You like to make money, but you're smart enough to know it's useless if you can't spend it. If Adam gets what he wants, then there won't be anything for you to spend your money on. And if you think being a faunus will save you, Adam was ready to kill his own people if it meant winning at Haven. He won't hesitate to kill you too when he doesn't need you anymore."

The was a brief pause, then Iann appeared, slumped forward and staring at the floor in intense thought.

Finally, without reaching up, Iann reached into his pocket, pulled out a green ribbon, tied it over his eyes, and looked up at Blake.

He smiled and extended his hand. "You make a very compelling case, Belladonna. I believe we have a deal."

After a moment, Blake reached out and shook Iann's hand. "Thank you."

Iann laughed and stood. "This contract looks to be interesting. Let me get my axes, and we can be on our way."

 **A/N: Iann's semblance is what he calls Selective Sight. If he can see you clearly, you cannot see him or anything on his person. You can still detect signs of his presence like his voice and footprints, and anyone not in his line of sight can see him just fine, but to anyone in his line of sight he's invisible. Iann cannot turn off his semblance.**


End file.
